The Copycat
by GeorgiaMaeSixx
Summary: Malandra is a sixteen year old orphan, bored with everyday Gotham life, who witnesses something terrible. But that's irrelevant. Batman is facing a new problem with a new villain called 'The Copycat' who is stealing other villains' gimmicks and framing them for terrible things, and he looks unstoppable.
1. Chapter 1

The rain poured down over Gotham City, the clouds obscuring the night sky, tarnishing the starlight. A lone Bat-Signal shone onto the blanket sky and people everywhere would look up to it as a sign of hope. A sign that someone was watching over them. That maybe they weren't alone. But crime had a different plan, and one that would not be satisfied until the city was burning and screaming out for salvation. On this particular, normal night, Bruce Wayne had just finished his night patrolling. Of course, the city saw that Batman had. the billionaire still maintained his secret identity. His no killing rule was one that he lived by, but that didn't stop him returning with blood on his knuckles. The bruises on his skin a constant reminder that the city would never be without crime. Batman lived, as a symbol, to protect the city from injustice.

Meanwhile, Malandra watched the city from her bedroom window. She'd grown up in the local orphanage after her father had been killed in a car accident, having been ran over by someone trying to escape the Caped Crusader. She always had that twinge of resentment when she saw that glowing beacon among the stars. "False idol" she spat at the sight. The TV flickered and talked in the background but her mind was full of rattling and whining thoughts. She couldn't single out any through the dense noise, and it felt as though she was in a crowded room with everyone shouting to get their voices heard. She turned to look at the TV, the moonlight now shining through her window.

"I'm Mike Engel for Gotham Cable News. The news tonight: Crime has been on the low as of recently as many of Batman's notorious rogues are currently residing in Arkham Asylum. However, this does not mean that you can not be prepared. Many villains tend to escape so we advise you to be in your homes before nightfall" the aging news-reporter nodded at the camera, making life seem way more positive than what it actually was. Being cared for by a masked vigilante isn't perfect, and it's ruining the city, she thought to herself. The villains were winning.

There was a loud and sudden banging noise. Malandra rushed to her window to witness a large amber explosion in the direction of Amusement Mile, the flames reflecting in her eyes. As she squinted, she could make out green and purple sections, and immediately thought of Joker and Harley Quinn. She'd seen them on the news. Even at the tender age of 16, she knew a lot. Malandra, despite the relentless bullying of her fellow classmates, happened to be very clever. She told her teacher that she'd be as clever as The Riddler someday, but that resultyed in a trip to the Principal's Office. She snapped back into watching the explosion, and watching the police cars rush past the orphanage. She could see both Batman and Robin out of one eye, and Nightwing out of the other. Turning to her TV again, she watched as the news flicked to the scene. Finally, something good to watch.

"It's Joker" Nightwing informed Batman, who had reached the scene of the smoldering inferno after him. "He blew this place up, and fled. Either that, or this is only the beginning" he added, holding both of his Eskrima Sticks. "I'm glad you both turned up though!" he chuckled, looking at the Boy Wonder who glared up at him. "And hi, Robin..."

Just as the trio of heroes began to talk, Commissioner Gordon walked over to them. He ran a hand through his greying hair and was holding a walkie talkie, with voices of various cops blaring through it. "Definitely Joker. We managed to catch him and he's already on his way back to Arkham. We managed to find something unusual about this act thought, something that was left for us to find"

"What do you mean?" Batman asked, looking at the Commissioner. "Let me see"

The Commissioner handed over what appeared to be a Joker card, but Batman noticed that something was wrong with the card. Instead of being dirtied, or ripped, or even the slightest bit funny, it was immaculate and new. "This is not like Joker" Batman added, in his husky and broken voice. "Someone must be framing him"

"Or maybe he's just making it seem that way" Nightwing added, looking at the card. "Could be a double bluff" he passed the card onto the Dark Knight.

"I know Joker. This isn't him." Batman replied sternly, handing the card back to Gordon. "Get this analyzed. At least then we will have a lead to go off of. Did everyone get out ok?" he asked, looking towards the dying fires. Luckily, the fire department had shown up quickly. The police commissioner walked back over to his team and Nightwing looked up at his previous mentor as everybody else left, leaving the three alone.

"I can see it in the way you are. Something's wrong" he asked the Batman, looking Bruce Wayne in the eyes. Nightwing had once been the first Robin, and it could be said that he knew Batman more than any of the others. Damian scowled up at Dick who merely scowled back.

"I'm fine. I just can't deal with the villains playing cruel games at the moment. It's hard enough with their constant escaping, but having them get worse..."

"You'll be fine dad" Damian nodded. "We'll get them"

"I know. I know" Batman nodded, looking towards Nightwing. "Stay safe"

Nightwing chuckled. "Only if you try to. I just can't help myself" he grinned, before disappearing back into the shadows. The dynamic duo made their way home, with the silent night filled only with the cracking of the occasional embers from the fire that still thrived, though not violent enough to restart the blaze.

Malandra turned off her TV and shut the curtains, before smiling to herself. That was interesting.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey Malandra. Can I borrow your textbook? I left mine at home" Tim asked, looking over at Malandra, who was sketching instead of actually paying attention to her work. The teacher had given up with her years ago, and just let her do her own thing, at least that way it didn't end up in a big fight. Tim Drake however was a promising student, and the teacher never understood how a bright boy like Tim could be friends with Malandra. She was one odd girl.

"Sure. Keep it. I won't need it, it's way too easy" she replied with a shrug, chewing her bubblegum. Tim took the textbook and flicked to the relevant pages. Crime and punishment was one of his best topics; helping Gotham as Red Robin had it's benefits after all. Of course, Malandra didn't know about Tim's crime fighting alter ego, but neither did anyone else. If they did, all hell would break loose. There would be another death in the Bat family. Tim flicked over to a page about vigilantes and snorted when he read that, in the eyes of the law, vigilantes could be looked upon as criminals. "You ok?" Malandra asked, raising an eyebrow at the random laugh and snort.

"I'm fine, no worries" Tim replied with a smile. "Just laughing at some of the stuff in this textbook. It's all rubbish" he added, looking over at his friend. Malandra hid her sketches and threw the notebook into her bag as the teacher began to end the lesson. "Wait! Do you wanna come over?" he asked as Malandra slowly turned back to him.

"You live with Bruce Wayne. I'm not too kind to people who get adopted, it reminds me of how unwanted I really am" she rolled her eyes. "Maybe some other time, Tim. I'm not really in the mood and I'm busy with some other random schoolwork" she added, before swiftly walking out of the classroom. Tim sighed and packed his books and his textbook into his bag before leaving only a few minutes after his 'best friend' had left.

In downtown Gotham, somewhere off Crime Alley and some other backstreets, where the poor thrived in the densely packed and crowded houses, Malandra was walking back to the orphanage. With a long sigh she reached the dingy and decrepit building, the bricks and stones growing into disrepair. She hoped that one day it would crumble. That it would fall into itself and never return. The owner of the orphanage hurried Malandra inside, insisting that it wasn't safe for a girl of her age to be out and about. She had a lot to learn, Malandra thought to herself. "You barely know me."

Running up to her room, she bounded inside and barricaded the door shut like she did everytime. She threw her schoolbag aside and sat at her desk that was covered in papers. Research, to be more specific. Not research for school, or for a project, but research on the crimes in the city, and most importantly, the villains that committed them. The Riddler, Two Face, Catwoman, The Joker and Harley Quinn, Scarecrow, Mad Hatter, Mr Freeze, Clayface, Poison Ivy...the list was endless. She had information that outshone anything the police would have. She needed it: it was vital to what she was hoping to achieve. "Who first?" she asked herself. "Eenie, meanie, minie, mo" she sang to herself, placing her finger on the paper she landed on. "And...Two Face" she grinned, looking over the scarred man's file. "This should be interesting."

The man, or _men_ in question, was sat in his hideout, smoking a cigar with a scotch in his hand. He watched some of his goons chat about how Joker had caused an unsuccessful explosion in Amusement Mile, and Two Face laughed. "Stupid clown" he huskily remarked, sipping his scotch. He wiped a stray trickle of liquor away from his chin with the back of his scarred hand. One of the goons ran over, a large machine gun in his hand, panicking. Two Face sat up in his chair and narrowed his eyes. "What do you want?" he asked angrily.

"T-Turn on the news, boss" he replied, pointing to the TV. Two Face flipped his coin and slapped it onto the back of his hand, looking as it faced heads up. He turned the TV on to watch GCN through the static.

"Gotham's Second National Bank has been robbed today of all of its two dollar bills and half of the rest of the cash. Several pieces of evidence has linked the notorious criminal Two Face, former district attorney Harvey Dent, to the crime. Several of his goons were also seen running from the scene soon after police began to arrive. Commissioner Jim Gordon has yet to comment" the newsreader began, but the TV was broken through the remote being thrown at it with enough force to break the screen. Two Face was angry. very angry. The goon shrunk back in fear.

"Whoever framed us for this will pay dearly" Two Face narrowed his eyes, looking around at his goons. "We couldn't have committed that crime, as we were here the whole time. However brilliant this crime may have been, we want you searching every inch of this city until you find who is responsible, understand?" he asked, glaring. They nodded quickly and ran out in different directions.

A goon, who had received his orders over a walkie-talkie, looked up to the Bat-Signal illuminating the cloudy sky. Little did he know, that the person responsible for that crime,w as watching the signal over Gotham too. He looked around frantically and hoped that he could be the one to find the culprit, so that he might get on the good side of his boss. But the coin would decide; he knew that. "I really need to find this person. Whoever it may be. Young or old, villain or hero, child or adult, man or woman."


End file.
